Nature Watch
April 9, 2008
By Sue Benson,
Director of Education, CNHM
Six-million-year-old fossils unearthed in Nebraska make sandhill cranes the oldest living species of bird in the world, according to the International Crane Foundation (ICF). And it’s not hard to think of these animals as living fossils. With large bodies, long necks, stilt-like legs, and wingspans that can exceed six feet, the sandhill doesn’t have a lot of avian contemporaries on the Wisconsin landscape.
To many people, the distinctive, repeated k-r-r-r-oo call of early migrating sandhills ranks with the cry of the loon or the howl of a wolf as one of the fundamental resonances of nature. Wallace Grange, the early Wisconsin wildlife biologist whose personal land restoration effort later became the state’s Sandhill Wildlife Area, understood all this when he described a flock of sandhills as “a trace of colorful arrows gliding across time.”
These surprisingly graceful birds were once nearly relegated to fossil status in the state. Sixty-five years ago, it is believed that Wisconsin’s population had fallen to perhaps only 25 breeding pairs, centered in a few south-central counties. Their population had plummeted in response to excessive hunting and the loss of the wetland habitats upon which they depend for food and nesting sites.
Fortunately, with protection from hunting, greater protection and restoration of the state’s wetlands, and perhaps some behavioral changes by the birds themselves (adapting to breed in smaller wetlands and forage in agricultural fields), this tenuous population slowly began to expand. The expansion accelerated, and in the last 25 years a substantial rebound has taken place. In 2007, the Annual Midwest Sandhill Crane Count, sponsored by the ICF, tallied 13,764 cranes in Wisconsin and a total of 14,662 in Wisconsin and neighboring states.
The Sandhill Crane does not breed until it is two to seven years old. It can live up to the age of 20. Mated pairs of cranes participate in unison calling, a complex and extended series of coordinated calls. While calling, cranes stand in an upright posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. Mated pairs stay together year round, and migrate as a group with their offspring. In some areas, wild sandhills preen iron-rich mud into their feathers, creating a rusty brown color which lasts throughout spring and summer. During fall these colored feathers molt and the birds return to their grayish appearance.
Although still an infrequent breeder in Wisconsin’s northern counties, local observations of sandhills are not the unlikely happenstance that they were just a decade ago. Sandhills are most active at dawn and dusk. Look and listen for them in wetlands, or nearby agricultural fields where they may forage for newly sprouting corn or worms and insects in the soil. Scan fields carefully with binoculars or look for movement; despite their size they blend in remarkably into a background of recently tilled soil, especially when the light is low. In flight, cranes fly with their necks extended and their legs trailing, in what has been called a “flying cross.”
Brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. They invite you to visit their facility in Cable on 43570 Kavanaugh Street or at the website at http://www.cablemuseum.org/ to learn more about their exhibits and programs.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Spring Migration
Nature Watch
April 2, 2008
By Susan Benson,
CNHM, Director of Education
The days are longer, snow is melting, and temperatures are rising. For many of us, though, spring isn’t official until we see the return of our favorite migratory birds. Perhaps yours may be the American robin or the redwinged blackbird, or maybe you scan the thawing waterways for returning mallards, goldeneyes or mergansers. Bird migration has mystified humans for a long time. The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that redstarts actually changed into robins in the winter. As recently as 200 years ago, it was thought that swallows and other migrants spent the winter in hibernation. Only recently have we begun to understand what migrating birds have been doing and why. We now know that almost the entire planet is criss-crossed by migration routes that lead in all directions, not just north and south. Each year some birds nearly encircle the globe in their travels from winter quarters to summer breeding areas and back again. Some of your human neighbors spend winter in the south, most likely because they prefer warm weather. A bird’s seasonal movements — and for that matter the migratory motivation of many other creatures including insects, fishes and mammals — are not strictly related to the temperature. In fact, most birds are well equipped to survive the cold. Migration is motivated by a search for food. In the fall, many birds depart northern regions in search of more reliable food sources. Come spring, these birds return north with the increasing availability of the tasty insects, fruits or small animals they eat. It might seem that birds would do well to stay in warm regions with plentiful food year-round. They return northward, however, for good reasons. Tropical days are only 12 hours long, but days in the north may reach 16 hours or more — that means more time for gathering food. Northward migration also expands a bird’s available nesting and food gathering area. Some birds do stay in the south, but merely expand their range to the north in summer.
Finally, migration helps protect birds from predation. A predator that relies on a certain bird for its prey will not thrive if that prey regularly leaves for months at a time. We still have much to learn about how birds pull off their amazing migratory journeys. How do they find their way, year after year, on trips that can cover hundreds or thousands of miles? Most researchers agree that birds use a variety of navigational tools, including visual recognition of geographic features like rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges; sensitivity to earth's magnetic field using tiny grains of a mineral called magnetite found in birds’ heads; use of the sun and stars for guidance; and simply by following other birds.
The first birds are already arriving; trumpeter swans were in Pacwawong just north of Seeley on March 17, Canada geese on March 30, and many reports are coming in to the Museum about bald eagles, first robins, and other animal species. Keep your eyes out and upward to make your own observations!
Brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. They invite you to visit their facility in Cable on 43570 Kavanaugh Street or at the website at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about their exhibits and programs.
April 2, 2008
By Susan Benson,
CNHM, Director of Education
The days are longer, snow is melting, and temperatures are rising. For many of us, though, spring isn’t official until we see the return of our favorite migratory birds. Perhaps yours may be the American robin or the redwinged blackbird, or maybe you scan the thawing waterways for returning mallards, goldeneyes or mergansers. Bird migration has mystified humans for a long time. The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that redstarts actually changed into robins in the winter. As recently as 200 years ago, it was thought that swallows and other migrants spent the winter in hibernation. Only recently have we begun to understand what migrating birds have been doing and why. We now know that almost the entire planet is criss-crossed by migration routes that lead in all directions, not just north and south. Each year some birds nearly encircle the globe in their travels from winter quarters to summer breeding areas and back again. Some of your human neighbors spend winter in the south, most likely because they prefer warm weather. A bird’s seasonal movements — and for that matter the migratory motivation of many other creatures including insects, fishes and mammals — are not strictly related to the temperature. In fact, most birds are well equipped to survive the cold. Migration is motivated by a search for food. In the fall, many birds depart northern regions in search of more reliable food sources. Come spring, these birds return north with the increasing availability of the tasty insects, fruits or small animals they eat. It might seem that birds would do well to stay in warm regions with plentiful food year-round. They return northward, however, for good reasons. Tropical days are only 12 hours long, but days in the north may reach 16 hours or more — that means more time for gathering food. Northward migration also expands a bird’s available nesting and food gathering area. Some birds do stay in the south, but merely expand their range to the north in summer.
Finally, migration helps protect birds from predation. A predator that relies on a certain bird for its prey will not thrive if that prey regularly leaves for months at a time. We still have much to learn about how birds pull off their amazing migratory journeys. How do they find their way, year after year, on trips that can cover hundreds or thousands of miles? Most researchers agree that birds use a variety of navigational tools, including visual recognition of geographic features like rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges; sensitivity to earth's magnetic field using tiny grains of a mineral called magnetite found in birds’ heads; use of the sun and stars for guidance; and simply by following other birds.
The first birds are already arriving; trumpeter swans were in Pacwawong just north of Seeley on March 17, Canada geese on March 30, and many reports are coming in to the Museum about bald eagles, first robins, and other animal species. Keep your eyes out and upward to make your own observations!
Brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. They invite you to visit their facility in Cable on 43570 Kavanaugh Street or at the website at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about their exhibits and programs.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Bats
Nature Watch
August 13, 2008
By Susan Benson,
CNHM Director of Education
While sitting out on a pleasant summer night, you might hear the whisper of wings or catch a glimpse of small dark objects careening through the sky. To many, the fleeting sight of a bat evokes a range of fears, most of which are unfounded.
Bats are the only flying mammals – in fact, the 950 different species of bats worldwide represent about 20 percent of all the planet’s mammal species. As with other mammals, bats nurse their young on milk. Bats also are quite clean; they groom themselves frequently, much as a cat does.
“Eek! They want to get caught in my hair, or suck my blood” is a common misconception. Only three bat species eat blood, and only very rarely is that human blood. The two main groups of bats include the “mega-bats,” or fruit bats, that eat fruit, nectar and pollen. The larger group of “micro-bats” eats insects. They navigate and hunt by a system called echolocation, whereby they emit sound waves that bounce off of objects and return as an echo, allowing the bat to fly about safety and locate prey. Wisconsin is home to seven bat species, all of them insect eaters.
On warm summer nights, you might consider the little brown bat, a Wisconsin native, an ally because it can catch and consume up to 600 mosquitoes per hour. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) are the most common Myotis species in the northern two-thirds of the United States. Often found in tree hollows and buildings during the summer, it can roost with big brown bats. It is most likely found near water sources. In winter, it hibernates. The big brown bat is another common and widespread species of bats throughout North America. It roosts in colonies in tree hollows and buildings. As it is more tolerant of cold conditions than other resident bats, it is the only one that overwinters in walls and attics.
Bats cause humans little harm, especially compared to the disturbances they’ve suffered as a result of human activity. Many bats die from eating contaminated insects. Fear and ignorance have led to bat eradication campaigns by individuals and even governments. Some logging, development and agricultural practices can drastically reduce bats’ natural habitat.
Bats may find their way into buildings, looking for safe roosting habitat. If a bat should get into your home, open a window or door and allow it to find its own way out. If it cannot, wait until it has landed, then using a glove or towel, gently catch the bat and release it outside. The best way to remove roosting bats from attics or other areas is to find and seal their entry points after they have left for nightly feeding or in the fall after they have migrated.
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at http://www.cablemuseum.org/ to learn more about exhibits and programs.
August 13, 2008
By Susan Benson,
CNHM Director of Education
While sitting out on a pleasant summer night, you might hear the whisper of wings or catch a glimpse of small dark objects careening through the sky. To many, the fleeting sight of a bat evokes a range of fears, most of which are unfounded.
Bats are the only flying mammals – in fact, the 950 different species of bats worldwide represent about 20 percent of all the planet’s mammal species. As with other mammals, bats nurse their young on milk. Bats also are quite clean; they groom themselves frequently, much as a cat does.
“Eek! They want to get caught in my hair, or suck my blood” is a common misconception. Only three bat species eat blood, and only very rarely is that human blood. The two main groups of bats include the “mega-bats,” or fruit bats, that eat fruit, nectar and pollen. The larger group of “micro-bats” eats insects. They navigate and hunt by a system called echolocation, whereby they emit sound waves that bounce off of objects and return as an echo, allowing the bat to fly about safety and locate prey. Wisconsin is home to seven bat species, all of them insect eaters.
On warm summer nights, you might consider the little brown bat, a Wisconsin native, an ally because it can catch and consume up to 600 mosquitoes per hour. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) are the most common Myotis species in the northern two-thirds of the United States. Often found in tree hollows and buildings during the summer, it can roost with big brown bats. It is most likely found near water sources. In winter, it hibernates. The big brown bat is another common and widespread species of bats throughout North America. It roosts in colonies in tree hollows and buildings. As it is more tolerant of cold conditions than other resident bats, it is the only one that overwinters in walls and attics.
Bats cause humans little harm, especially compared to the disturbances they’ve suffered as a result of human activity. Many bats die from eating contaminated insects. Fear and ignorance have led to bat eradication campaigns by individuals and even governments. Some logging, development and agricultural practices can drastically reduce bats’ natural habitat.
Bats may find their way into buildings, looking for safe roosting habitat. If a bat should get into your home, open a window or door and allow it to find its own way out. If it cannot, wait until it has landed, then using a glove or towel, gently catch the bat and release it outside. The best way to remove roosting bats from attics or other areas is to find and seal their entry points after they have left for nightly feeding or in the fall after they have migrated.
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at http://www.cablemuseum.org/ to learn more about exhibits and programs.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Frogs & Snakes in Winter
Nature Watch
February 27, 2008
By Susan Benson,CNHM Director of Education
So you think you get cold in the winter? Consider the wood frog. This little amphibian actually freezes solid during the winter months. While frozen, these frogs have no heartbeat. They do not breathe. Their blood does not circulate. Their nerves barely register electrical impulses. Yet their vital organs are not damaged, even after being frozen solid for weeks on end. Come spring, the little frogs simply thaw out and hop away to woodland ponds to mate and carry on with life. Spring peepers, gray tree frogs and upland chorus frogs also may freeze and thaw several times during the course of a winter. How do they do it? The answer is antifreeze. When ice begins to form on a wood frog’s skin, the frog’s liver releases a high level of blood sugar, enough to fill the blood vessels in all vital organs. The blood of frozen wood frogs may have a glucose level 100 times as concentrated as that in average human blood.
This highly concentrated sugar solution resists freezing, and although nearly two thirds of the frog’s body water may turn to solid ice, that ice is located in non-vital areas such as the bladder, stomach cavity, beneath the skin, between organs and muscle fibers and between cells. Ice does not form within the living cells and therefore does not damage organs. Come spring, the sugar is quickly removed from the frog’s blood by the liver, and the frog returns to what we’d call “normal.” Frogs are not the only animals that survive the winter as living ice cubes.
Garter snakes, normally the last snake species to hibernate in autumn and the first to emerge in spring, can tolerate a night or two of being frozen if they’re caught away from their hibernation hideaway. Adult box turtles can survive freezing and newly hatched painted turtles freeze solid and thaw out repeatedly when in their nests during their first winter. Not all animal adaptation to winter is so extreme. Many birds that spend winters up north grow a winter coat of heavy-duty feathers to help insulate them from the cold. Goldfinch feather weight is about 50 percent higher in winter than summer. Even with feathers fluffed, however, most birds need to generate extra heat to survive, and they do this just as humans do: by shivering. Chickadees, for example, shiver more or less continuously throughout winter except when they’re flying. This winter, when you may be feeling chilly and tempted to exclaim “I’m freezing!” remember that there are animals out there that actually are freezing!
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
February 27, 2008
By Susan Benson,CNHM Director of Education
So you think you get cold in the winter? Consider the wood frog. This little amphibian actually freezes solid during the winter months. While frozen, these frogs have no heartbeat. They do not breathe. Their blood does not circulate. Their nerves barely register electrical impulses. Yet their vital organs are not damaged, even after being frozen solid for weeks on end. Come spring, the little frogs simply thaw out and hop away to woodland ponds to mate and carry on with life. Spring peepers, gray tree frogs and upland chorus frogs also may freeze and thaw several times during the course of a winter. How do they do it? The answer is antifreeze. When ice begins to form on a wood frog’s skin, the frog’s liver releases a high level of blood sugar, enough to fill the blood vessels in all vital organs. The blood of frozen wood frogs may have a glucose level 100 times as concentrated as that in average human blood.
This highly concentrated sugar solution resists freezing, and although nearly two thirds of the frog’s body water may turn to solid ice, that ice is located in non-vital areas such as the bladder, stomach cavity, beneath the skin, between organs and muscle fibers and between cells. Ice does not form within the living cells and therefore does not damage organs. Come spring, the sugar is quickly removed from the frog’s blood by the liver, and the frog returns to what we’d call “normal.” Frogs are not the only animals that survive the winter as living ice cubes.
Garter snakes, normally the last snake species to hibernate in autumn and the first to emerge in spring, can tolerate a night or two of being frozen if they’re caught away from their hibernation hideaway. Adult box turtles can survive freezing and newly hatched painted turtles freeze solid and thaw out repeatedly when in their nests during their first winter. Not all animal adaptation to winter is so extreme. Many birds that spend winters up north grow a winter coat of heavy-duty feathers to help insulate them from the cold. Goldfinch feather weight is about 50 percent higher in winter than summer. Even with feathers fluffed, however, most birds need to generate extra heat to survive, and they do this just as humans do: by shivering. Chickadees, for example, shiver more or less continuously throughout winter except when they’re flying. This winter, when you may be feeling chilly and tempted to exclaim “I’m freezing!” remember that there are animals out there that actually are freezing!
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Birkie Snow
Nature Watch
February 20, 2008
By Susan Benson,CNHM Director of Education
It’s happening again this year. I feel my body heat rising, and the insane desire to flop my arms and legs back and forth in an incessant beat. It’s a feeling we are all familiar with – Birkie Fever!
We all know that snowflakes are a collection of snow crystals, often with the six-sided hexagonal shapes, sometimes bound together into a puff-ball (these flakes can consist of up to 100 snow crystals clumped together.) The prisms that are formed are due to the molecular structure of water. This winter has also brought us rime, which is super cooled tiny drops of water that quickly freeze into whatever they hit, and also often occur in a fog. We’ve also seen graupel, a loose collection of frozen water droplets that are sometimes called soft hail. Just what does snow mean to the over 6,100 skiers that are skiing a race this weekend as part of the American Birkiebeiner?
Powder is freshly fallen, untouched snow that forms a smooth surface while giving you a feeling of floating in outer space. To a cross-country skier, powder is often packed in thick layers forming a natural pillow for any crashes (I’ve experienced this many times,) but ungroomed, fresh powder is beautiful but sloooow.
Slush, or slop, as it’s known in the skier world happens when the air temperature is warmer than the freezing point, so the snow begins to melt and its water content is very high. These delicate snow crystals change into large grains of ice, and slop is formed. To a Birkie skier, this means slow, difficult skiing with wet socks. Standing water on Lake Hayward can sometimes occur during these conditions, but all parts of the race can be difficult in slop, and people can become dehydrated. 1996 was a slop Birkie.
Frozen granular snow is defined as a hard surface of old snow formed by granules freezing together after rain or warm temperatures. For the Birkie, they have great machinery to help make the granules of snow very fast, and most racers really like this, as long as its groomed well.
Machine tilled snow is loose granular snow repeatedly groomed by power tillers so the texture is halfway between powder and granular, pulverized so that the crystals are like powder sugar. This snow makes the best all-around condition for the race - fast, safe, and durable.
Windblown snow is powder or granular snow that has been blown by the wind and has formed a base. A few exposed areas on Lake Hayward or Duffy’s Field on the Birkie trail can have windblown snow, and it can slow skiing in those areas as the crystals are sharp and abrasive.
I wrote this article with the help of local skier and friend Chris Young. Here is what he had to say about snow during the Birkiebeiner race:
“Snow is good, at least for us in Birkie country. Ideally, though, we like the snow to come down in manageable amounts, 2-3 inches at a time so that groomers can deal with it adequately. This is important for Birkie because it makes for a better course. We want the snow to fall at temperatures of 25-30 degrees so that it is slightly moist. The moisture in the snow allows the groomers to adequately pack the snow, making a very firm, dense base. This makes for very durable snow conditions that you need when you have 6,000 skiers. The big groomer has a tiller, and it tosses the snow, like you till soil - grabbing the snow, spinning it, and packing it down, getting the air out of it. If it’s really cold, it’s very dry and abrasive and tends to keep the air in the snow pack, making for slow, soft conditions.
Birkie trouble begins when the snow is too warm, and the moisture and the soft, collapsible nature of snow makes for difficult ski conditions. That creates suction between the skis and the snow. This has a dramatic effect on slowing the skis. If conditions are in the teens or 20’s this is ideal because snow becomes durable and is at its fastest. This makes for a pretty happy bunch of racers. Temperatures in the teens and below zero bring new problems. Not only is it cold and hard to dress for, the moisture in the snow freezes, creating very sharp, abrasive snow crystals, slowing skiers down. Ask any Birkie veteran about severe cold weather and they will talk about the dreaded sandpaper conditions.”
According to Chris, this year is an ideal year for the Birkie, as we had snow, followed by warming, and then had enough fresh snow to mix in with the granular thawed snow to make for a nice race course - the trail is absolutely immaculate. Whether or not we are a skier, we continually deal with the conditions listed above, and can appreciate what skiers experience. Get out and enjoy the winter weather and snow, and keep track of the changes in the snow conditions – now you know what to call that slippery stuff that creates so much fun!
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
February 20, 2008
By Susan Benson,CNHM Director of Education
It’s happening again this year. I feel my body heat rising, and the insane desire to flop my arms and legs back and forth in an incessant beat. It’s a feeling we are all familiar with – Birkie Fever!
We all know that snowflakes are a collection of snow crystals, often with the six-sided hexagonal shapes, sometimes bound together into a puff-ball (these flakes can consist of up to 100 snow crystals clumped together.) The prisms that are formed are due to the molecular structure of water. This winter has also brought us rime, which is super cooled tiny drops of water that quickly freeze into whatever they hit, and also often occur in a fog. We’ve also seen graupel, a loose collection of frozen water droplets that are sometimes called soft hail. Just what does snow mean to the over 6,100 skiers that are skiing a race this weekend as part of the American Birkiebeiner?
Powder is freshly fallen, untouched snow that forms a smooth surface while giving you a feeling of floating in outer space. To a cross-country skier, powder is often packed in thick layers forming a natural pillow for any crashes (I’ve experienced this many times,) but ungroomed, fresh powder is beautiful but sloooow.
Slush, or slop, as it’s known in the skier world happens when the air temperature is warmer than the freezing point, so the snow begins to melt and its water content is very high. These delicate snow crystals change into large grains of ice, and slop is formed. To a Birkie skier, this means slow, difficult skiing with wet socks. Standing water on Lake Hayward can sometimes occur during these conditions, but all parts of the race can be difficult in slop, and people can become dehydrated. 1996 was a slop Birkie.
Frozen granular snow is defined as a hard surface of old snow formed by granules freezing together after rain or warm temperatures. For the Birkie, they have great machinery to help make the granules of snow very fast, and most racers really like this, as long as its groomed well.
Machine tilled snow is loose granular snow repeatedly groomed by power tillers so the texture is halfway between powder and granular, pulverized so that the crystals are like powder sugar. This snow makes the best all-around condition for the race - fast, safe, and durable.
Windblown snow is powder or granular snow that has been blown by the wind and has formed a base. A few exposed areas on Lake Hayward or Duffy’s Field on the Birkie trail can have windblown snow, and it can slow skiing in those areas as the crystals are sharp and abrasive.
I wrote this article with the help of local skier and friend Chris Young. Here is what he had to say about snow during the Birkiebeiner race:
“Snow is good, at least for us in Birkie country. Ideally, though, we like the snow to come down in manageable amounts, 2-3 inches at a time so that groomers can deal with it adequately. This is important for Birkie because it makes for a better course. We want the snow to fall at temperatures of 25-30 degrees so that it is slightly moist. The moisture in the snow allows the groomers to adequately pack the snow, making a very firm, dense base. This makes for very durable snow conditions that you need when you have 6,000 skiers. The big groomer has a tiller, and it tosses the snow, like you till soil - grabbing the snow, spinning it, and packing it down, getting the air out of it. If it’s really cold, it’s very dry and abrasive and tends to keep the air in the snow pack, making for slow, soft conditions.
Birkie trouble begins when the snow is too warm, and the moisture and the soft, collapsible nature of snow makes for difficult ski conditions. That creates suction between the skis and the snow. This has a dramatic effect on slowing the skis. If conditions are in the teens or 20’s this is ideal because snow becomes durable and is at its fastest. This makes for a pretty happy bunch of racers. Temperatures in the teens and below zero bring new problems. Not only is it cold and hard to dress for, the moisture in the snow freezes, creating very sharp, abrasive snow crystals, slowing skiers down. Ask any Birkie veteran about severe cold weather and they will talk about the dreaded sandpaper conditions.”
According to Chris, this year is an ideal year for the Birkie, as we had snow, followed by warming, and then had enough fresh snow to mix in with the granular thawed snow to make for a nice race course - the trail is absolutely immaculate. Whether or not we are a skier, we continually deal with the conditions listed above, and can appreciate what skiers experience. Get out and enjoy the winter weather and snow, and keep track of the changes in the snow conditions – now you know what to call that slippery stuff that creates so much fun!
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Nature of the Land
Nature Watch
February 8, 2008
By Susan Benson
Director of Education
Cable Natural History Museum
It is finally snowing again, and I am reminded of something I once read that listed 10 Ojibwe words for types of snow. As I recall, the writer was basing his information on Frederic Baraga’s Dictionary of the Ojibway Language. Referring to my own copy of A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe by John Nichols and Earl Nyholm, I find at least seven different variations. Snow in Ojibwemowin (the Ojibwe language) is goon, but crusty snow, or snow with a crust on it is onaabanad. Deep snow is ishpaagonagaamagad, and zhakipon means “there is a heavy wet snow falling.”
Naming things, at least in some native languages, seems to be a practice of describing something in one word. Not just naming it, but in some cases actually describing a thing in a particular moment and giving that thing in that moment a name. Native languages like Ojibwemowin also name things in a way that alludes to if not directly states the importance of something to the people. Ininaatig is the Ojibwe word for the maple tree, but the name translates more closely to “our tree.” Why is it “our tree”? Because that sap that is gathered from ininaatig each spring is an important source of food for the Ojibwe people (and for many non-native people as well!). The Ojibwe name for the maple tree alludes to a story; it is more than just an arbitrary name.
Another good example of the richness of Ojibwemowin is in place names. Many Wisconsin towns and water bodies have Ojibwemowin names. Here in our area, a good example is Lake Namekagon, or Namekaagong-zaaga’igan. The last part of the Ojibwe name, zaaga’igan, is the word for “lake.” The Ojibwe name Namekaagong, and the modern derivation “Namekagon,” mean “lake at the place of many sturgeon,” or “many sturgeons lake.” The root word of this name is Name, or sturgeon, an important species to the Ojibwe because Name is considered the “king of fish” and is the Chief of the Fish Clans. The cultural importance of sturgeon alludes to the importance of Lake Namekagon.
I am fascinated by Ojibwemowin, but I am in no way fluent. I know a few words, but I do not know the language. I would like to. If French is the native tongue of those living in France, Italian is what is spoken in Italy, and a mixture of tribal languages creates the cultures of Africa, then I think the native tongue of the United States, perhaps all of North America, is the various languages of the first people, the Anishinaabe. In northern Wisconsin, that is primarily Ojibwemowin. It is the language of this land. Unfortunately, the use of all native languages is declining in favor of the more cosmopolitan English. As a result, fewer young people are learning the language and there are increasingly fewer elders who are left to teach it. But this is changing. In parts of our area, Ojibwemowin is becoming a part of school curricula, and an ambitious grant-funded project at the University of Minnesota-Duluth called “Ojibwe Movies” (http://www.ojibwemovies.com/) is helping teach the Ojibwe language by embedding movies in a language learning software that will be available through a web site and/or on a DVD.
I mentioned two books above that are first steps towards learning, but there are a growing number of other sources. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has compiled an Anishinaabe atlas of the ceded territories in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Gidakiiminaan (“Our Earth”) is available in both print form and as a CD. A companion CD, Indinawemaaganidog, is an interactive dictionary/field guide to plants and animals in the ceded territories, giving the Ojibwe names for select species along with additional information such as recordings of individual bird songs. A third CD, Onjiakiing (“From the Earth!”) is a source of information about plants, fruits, and plant materials used by the Ojibwe. All are available through the GLIFWC website (http://www.glifwc.org/).
Another outstanding resource is the language section of the “Lac du Flambeau News” as well as their website http://www.lacduflambeautribe.com/; click on “Language.” There are also Ojibwe language classes taught at the Lac du Flambeau, LCO Community College, Northland College, and at the University of Minnesota in Duluth.
Even if you are not Native American, knowing something about the native language of our shared place is important. It gives the land a richer context and makes us more knowledgeable about it and about our place in it. After all, gakina awiiya (“we are all related”).
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
February 8, 2008
By Susan Benson
Director of Education
Cable Natural History Museum
It is finally snowing again, and I am reminded of something I once read that listed 10 Ojibwe words for types of snow. As I recall, the writer was basing his information on Frederic Baraga’s Dictionary of the Ojibway Language. Referring to my own copy of A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe by John Nichols and Earl Nyholm, I find at least seven different variations. Snow in Ojibwemowin (the Ojibwe language) is goon, but crusty snow, or snow with a crust on it is onaabanad. Deep snow is ishpaagonagaamagad, and zhakipon means “there is a heavy wet snow falling.”
Naming things, at least in some native languages, seems to be a practice of describing something in one word. Not just naming it, but in some cases actually describing a thing in a particular moment and giving that thing in that moment a name. Native languages like Ojibwemowin also name things in a way that alludes to if not directly states the importance of something to the people. Ininaatig is the Ojibwe word for the maple tree, but the name translates more closely to “our tree.” Why is it “our tree”? Because that sap that is gathered from ininaatig each spring is an important source of food for the Ojibwe people (and for many non-native people as well!). The Ojibwe name for the maple tree alludes to a story; it is more than just an arbitrary name.
Another good example of the richness of Ojibwemowin is in place names. Many Wisconsin towns and water bodies have Ojibwemowin names. Here in our area, a good example is Lake Namekagon, or Namekaagong-zaaga’igan. The last part of the Ojibwe name, zaaga’igan, is the word for “lake.” The Ojibwe name Namekaagong, and the modern derivation “Namekagon,” mean “lake at the place of many sturgeon,” or “many sturgeons lake.” The root word of this name is Name, or sturgeon, an important species to the Ojibwe because Name is considered the “king of fish” and is the Chief of the Fish Clans. The cultural importance of sturgeon alludes to the importance of Lake Namekagon.
I am fascinated by Ojibwemowin, but I am in no way fluent. I know a few words, but I do not know the language. I would like to. If French is the native tongue of those living in France, Italian is what is spoken in Italy, and a mixture of tribal languages creates the cultures of Africa, then I think the native tongue of the United States, perhaps all of North America, is the various languages of the first people, the Anishinaabe. In northern Wisconsin, that is primarily Ojibwemowin. It is the language of this land. Unfortunately, the use of all native languages is declining in favor of the more cosmopolitan English. As a result, fewer young people are learning the language and there are increasingly fewer elders who are left to teach it. But this is changing. In parts of our area, Ojibwemowin is becoming a part of school curricula, and an ambitious grant-funded project at the University of Minnesota-Duluth called “Ojibwe Movies” (http://www.ojibwemovies.com/) is helping teach the Ojibwe language by embedding movies in a language learning software that will be available through a web site and/or on a DVD.
I mentioned two books above that are first steps towards learning, but there are a growing number of other sources. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission has compiled an Anishinaabe atlas of the ceded territories in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Gidakiiminaan (“Our Earth”) is available in both print form and as a CD. A companion CD, Indinawemaaganidog, is an interactive dictionary/field guide to plants and animals in the ceded territories, giving the Ojibwe names for select species along with additional information such as recordings of individual bird songs. A third CD, Onjiakiing (“From the Earth!”) is a source of information about plants, fruits, and plant materials used by the Ojibwe. All are available through the GLIFWC website (http://www.glifwc.org/).
Another outstanding resource is the language section of the “Lac du Flambeau News” as well as their website http://www.lacduflambeautribe.com/; click on “Language.” There are also Ojibwe language classes taught at the Lac du Flambeau, LCO Community College, Northland College, and at the University of Minnesota in Duluth.
Even if you are not Native American, knowing something about the native language of our shared place is important. It gives the land a richer context and makes us more knowledgeable about it and about our place in it. After all, gakina awiiya (“we are all related”).
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
Friday, February 1, 2008
February
Nature Watch
February 1, 2008
By Sue Benson,
CNHM Director of Education
Though February is technically the heart of winter, you’ll notice that the days are getting longer. At the beginning of February we have 10 hours of daylight, and by February’s end we’ll be up to 11 hours of daylight.
February is a challenging month for most over-wintering animals. Woody shrubs and woody vegetation don’t supply the nutrition for animals that summer greens can. In fact, the high cellulose content in woody shrubs means that the animals will need more time and precious energy to digest the material. Energy is so valuable during this time of the year that many animals, including deer and squirrels, will reduce their movement drastically just to conserve energy. February and March are months that you may think twice about shooing the squirrels away from your bird feeders because they may need the wood as much as the birds.
Keep your eyes out for signs of deer. Primarily browsing animals, they will eat acorns, fungi and grass. They also browse on twigs of basswood, ironwood, sugar maple, staghorn sumac, and other trees and shrubs, eating mostly pencil-sized woody parts. This diet creates a deer population that needs to eat almost continuously in order to get enough nutrients to remain strong and healthy. Biologists have found that a healthy deer can eat 10-to-12 pounds of browse every day. A deer could survive on 2-to-3 pounds per day; 6-to-8 pounds are needed continuously. However, white-tailed deer will also catch and eat fish in shallow streams, eat small birds, and dig through snow to feed on wintering colonies of ladybug beetles. Unlike most mammals, deer do not have front teeth on their upper jaw. It can be easy then to differentiate when looking for deer browse. A tough chewed twig is common as deer browse, while other "twig eaters" like snowshoe hares and rabbits create a sharp-edged cut.
Many of Wisconsin's larger animals, especially large birds and carnivores, begin their breeding seasons during this time of year. Female wolves, foxes and coyotes will become impregnated and expect to give birth in late April or May. Female black bears are quite lucky as their cubs are born while "mom" is either sleeping sound or rather hazy from a few months of uninterrupted sleep. After being born the cubs will snuggle in close to mom's armpits near where her teats are located, a characteristic unlike most mammals. Also during this time, crows, ravens, barred owls and great horned owls will start their courtship to attract a mate. The courtship of crows and ravens consists of aerial acrobatics to impress a mate. This can be easy to observe as the birds will twirl, twist, nose-dive and do all other sorts of "stunts." Male owls, on the other hand, will call and hoot until a mate is found. Afterwards they will steal the nest that another animal has created, such as a squirrel den or broad-wing hawk nest.
As the days get longer, the internal clocks of many bird species will trigger them to begin their migration north. Some of the early arrivals may begin to show up during February, like juncos, gulls and maybe even an early robin. In no time at all, waterfowl, blackbird and grackles will be showing up.
One of the most active yet rarely seen mammals during the wintertime is the beaver.
As most ponds and lakes are frozen the beaver will remain very active underneath the ice.
During the fall, beaver’s will drag branches of their favorite trees into the water near their lodge. They then can sneak out of their lodges through an underwater entrance to each food cache. A beaver’s lodge is built so well that even on the coldest days their lodge can remain at a temperature well above 40 degrees.
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
February 1, 2008
By Sue Benson,
CNHM Director of Education
Though February is technically the heart of winter, you’ll notice that the days are getting longer. At the beginning of February we have 10 hours of daylight, and by February’s end we’ll be up to 11 hours of daylight.
February is a challenging month for most over-wintering animals. Woody shrubs and woody vegetation don’t supply the nutrition for animals that summer greens can. In fact, the high cellulose content in woody shrubs means that the animals will need more time and precious energy to digest the material. Energy is so valuable during this time of the year that many animals, including deer and squirrels, will reduce their movement drastically just to conserve energy. February and March are months that you may think twice about shooing the squirrels away from your bird feeders because they may need the wood as much as the birds.
Keep your eyes out for signs of deer. Primarily browsing animals, they will eat acorns, fungi and grass. They also browse on twigs of basswood, ironwood, sugar maple, staghorn sumac, and other trees and shrubs, eating mostly pencil-sized woody parts. This diet creates a deer population that needs to eat almost continuously in order to get enough nutrients to remain strong and healthy. Biologists have found that a healthy deer can eat 10-to-12 pounds of browse every day. A deer could survive on 2-to-3 pounds per day; 6-to-8 pounds are needed continuously. However, white-tailed deer will also catch and eat fish in shallow streams, eat small birds, and dig through snow to feed on wintering colonies of ladybug beetles. Unlike most mammals, deer do not have front teeth on their upper jaw. It can be easy then to differentiate when looking for deer browse. A tough chewed twig is common as deer browse, while other "twig eaters" like snowshoe hares and rabbits create a sharp-edged cut.
Many of Wisconsin's larger animals, especially large birds and carnivores, begin their breeding seasons during this time of year. Female wolves, foxes and coyotes will become impregnated and expect to give birth in late April or May. Female black bears are quite lucky as their cubs are born while "mom" is either sleeping sound or rather hazy from a few months of uninterrupted sleep. After being born the cubs will snuggle in close to mom's armpits near where her teats are located, a characteristic unlike most mammals. Also during this time, crows, ravens, barred owls and great horned owls will start their courtship to attract a mate. The courtship of crows and ravens consists of aerial acrobatics to impress a mate. This can be easy to observe as the birds will twirl, twist, nose-dive and do all other sorts of "stunts." Male owls, on the other hand, will call and hoot until a mate is found. Afterwards they will steal the nest that another animal has created, such as a squirrel den or broad-wing hawk nest.
As the days get longer, the internal clocks of many bird species will trigger them to begin their migration north. Some of the early arrivals may begin to show up during February, like juncos, gulls and maybe even an early robin. In no time at all, waterfowl, blackbird and grackles will be showing up.
One of the most active yet rarely seen mammals during the wintertime is the beaver.
As most ponds and lakes are frozen the beaver will remain very active underneath the ice.
During the fall, beaver’s will drag branches of their favorite trees into the water near their lodge. They then can sneak out of their lodges through an underwater entrance to each food cache. A beaver’s lodge is built so well that even on the coldest days their lodge can remain at a temperature well above 40 degrees.
Nature Watch is brought to you by the Cable Natural History Museum. For 40 years, the Museum has served as a guide and mentor to generations of visitors and residents interested in learning to better appreciate and care for the extraordinary natural resources of the region. The Museum invites you to visit its facility in Cable at 43570 Kavanaugh Street or on the web at www.cablemuseum.org to learn more about exhibits and programs.
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